The Avon Branch are back!

Very pleased to be part of an amazing group at the CQI Avon Branch, a brilliant talk given by Debbie Huxton. It was a busy night and I would like to personally thank everyone for taking time out to come and support this, especially to those who helped make the event happen. Thanks must go to the regular venue at the BAWA club for good food & wine plus fab cakes by Chris at Cakes from the Soul.

Welcome to the Avon Branch calendar for 2015. The team would like you to join them for a mixture of networking and nibbles, followed by a talk by our featured guest Debbie Huxton who will present on “The importance of Quality in communication” on Wednesday 17th June

Debbie Huxton is the author of “The little book of big wisdom” and Debbie is well known for her ability to hold an audience in her hand as she talks them through her subject. She is fun, friendly and fearless. Her delivery of her topic is always powerful and encouraging, she has a passion that is infectious and empowers individuals http://www.debbie-huxton.com/

In my last blog I raised a list of key areas that I think gain results in the initial improvement focus, so I’ve picked an example to help clarify one approach to starting the improvement journey.

Firstly be absolutely clear on what you are trying to achieve and why.

For this example let us assume that during the initial review the goal of the company was to improve their customer satisfaction, they seemed to be losing repeat business and receiving complaints. This was having a knock on effect to the profit due to loss of sales, returns and rework costs. These goals need to be translated down into meaningful solutions; brainstorming is one of many good problem solving tools that can be used for this. I find it also helps to use structured questions to start discussions.

Do you fully understand the product that you are supplying?

Do you and the customer understand what they want / need?

What are the main reasons for rejection / concerns?

Is the process efficient and up-to-date with technology?

How are your competitors doing it?

How can you fix the customer issues – Are there design issues?

Are employees adequately trained and engaged?

Is the process documented /consistent/capable?

Are there capacity issues or bottlenecks?

Where are your check points / Quality Control?

Asking what may seem like a lot of awkward questions at first will lead the investigation. Prioritise these areas and create your improvement opportunities.

Secondly be absolutely clear on how you are performing before you change.

A lot of changes need to be based on much analysis of data, so each of these need careful consideration. You cannot quantify how much of an improvement there has been or cost saving until you fully understand what is happening and how much it is costing. Simple systems or spreadsheets can be set up for each of the key focus points building up a base line for improvement.

On a final note I would like to say people, people, people they are the key!

Fire up the enthusiasm and convert it into tangible business improvement. Make the improvements from the base level up if they have initiated the changes they will embrace them.

REMEMBER: STAY FOCUSED ON WHAT YOU ARE THERE TO DO AND WHY!

Next instalment: Using your Quality Management system as focus for improvement.

It is great that you have the focus to want to improve, but how do you go about turning this into a workable plan to make it happen? Your goal/solution may not always be clearly visible but will emerge from a desire to improve in a particular area of the business. One of your greatest assets is your people, so harness that knowledge and use their experience of the business processes to improve. When planning any change focus on where the improvements are coming from, who they will effect and how you will communicate this. Managing the change will be crucial to success and minimizing resistance to the change. Take time to focus on the company culture and people before rushing in to improve on what you perceive to be a problem as others may not see things your way!

These are my tips for anyone wishing to make a difference in their organization.

Know where the company sees itself through its Mission statement and Vision.

Have a clear understanding of the company’s business processes and the relationships between them (internal & external customers, bottleneck experiences, and the supply chain involved).

Understand the customer and the target market, what are the current demands and who are the competition?

Know the level of commitment being given to the project / process improvement by the executive board.

Identify how information is currently given to employees, for example word of mouth, notice boards, weekly meetings.

Look at how the company’s mission/vision is translated down through to the shop floor? Do employees understand what they contribute to the company’s success?

Make sure you understand the company finances, operating costs and margins.

Identify and manage any risk areas.

I believe a company is only as good as its people and culture – make them understand how much they have to offer and what they can do. There will be hurdles but once these are identified then they can be tackled one little step at a time, eventually leading to the big success you seek.